Our Story

In 2010-2011, we were guided to adopt a beautiful 5-year-old girl who sports “designer genes” from Russia. We found her through an organization called Reece’s Rainbow, which advocates for orphans around the world who are given away at birth because their parents found out they weren’t “perfect.” Many of them were born with Down Syndrome.

In Eastern Europe alone, thousands of children with Down Syndrome are living in crowded, understaffed orphanages. There is no place for them in their society, simply because of ignorance and intolerance. If these children aren’t adopted by the time they turn four or five, most of them are transferred to adult mental asylums, where they are locked away and left without any hope. The conditions in most of these institutions are horrible. The people there are given very little stimulation and in some areas, they are tied to their beds. Many die within their first year of transfer. Can you imagine a bright, capable child being sent to such a place? The only hope that these children have for life outside of these institutions is through adoption. In five years, over 600 children with Down Syndrome and other special needs have found their forever families through Reece’s Rainbow. We are showing the people in these countries that these children have great value and actually bring joy to families, not burden.
 
When we learned about this in the spring of 2010, we felt undeniably that God was calling our family to go and rescue one of these children. It was a scary endeavor, to say the least, but we went for it! We found 5-year-old Anya’s picture on http://www.reecesrainbow.org/ within a few weeks and knew that she meant for us. Anya joined us in March of 2011. In just a year’s time, she’s thriving, well-adjusted, and doing most everything that any 6 year old girl does. She attends a regular kindergarten class with her brother and absolutely loves it! She’s blowing us all away with her progress. We can’t bear to think about where she would be right now if she wasn’t here with us.

 

After seeing first-hand what we saw in Russia, as well as the transformation in Anya, and experiencing the joy that she has brought into our lives, we feel guided to make the difference for one more child.

This is our future daughter, Hazel. She’s three years old and lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe. (Country to be disclosed after court.) We’re all VERY excited to have her join our family. She and Anya will always have one another as sisters and friends. Right now, we’re waiting for our invitation to go and meet her, probably in April. We’re hoping to complete the adoption before she turns four in September, as this region transfers the children to mental institutions at this age.     Unfortunately, an adoption from this country costs around $40,000. Surprisingly, most of this hefty price tag does not go to the country itself, but is a result of having to travel there three times (as per their requirements) and paying all of the fees that are needed to process the paperwork. We need to raise about half of the expenses to bring Hazel home, which is $15,000 to $20,000. This is a huge endeavor that will only happen with the help of others. So, we’re requesting your help.

Will you help us reach this goal by donating to Hazel’s adoption fund? We would be forever grateful!